Detroit, MI

Rocket predictions: News ‘experts’ pick their favorites, dark horses and winners

Published

2 years ago

June 24, 2024

Rocket predictions: News ‘experts’ pick their favorites, dark horses and winners

Detroit — The Rocket’s back.

The PGA Tour returns to Detroit Golf Club this week, for the sixth playing of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, which has struggled at times to put together a star-studded field, but hasn’t struggled in producing the drama.

Every Rocket has had its fair share of story lines, and drama. The tournament has had two playoffs, including Rickie Fowler’s triumph over Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin, last year. And the tournament’s had its fair share of marquee winners, including Tony Finau in 2022 and Bryson DeChambeau in 2020.

Who will it be this year?

The News’ resident golf “experts” weigh in, before the action gets under way at Detroit Golf Club on Thursday.

Tony Paul, reporter

▶ Favorite: Tom Kim has to be the popular pick this week in Detroit, given his performance at the Travelers, where he led almost the entire tournament until late on Sunday, when Scottie Scheffler passed him by (no shame in that) and eventually won in a playoff. Kim knows how to go low, and he’s done it in Detroit. Cameron Young will be atop a lot of folks’ list, too, after his 59 on Sunday, and his tie for second in Detroit in 2022, but if the rough is thick, Young and his erratic driver could have some issues.

▶ One to watch: I’m extremely curious to see how 15-year-old Miles Russell handles his first appearance in a PGA Tour event, in the tournament on a sponsor’s exemption. He did just swell in his Korn Ferry Tour debut, becoming the youngest player ever to make the cut on that circuit. He played Detroit Golf Club earlier this year, and apparently tore the place up (and he also swung by Oakland Hills, shooting 67-68 from the tips).

▶ Dark horse: Neal Shipley. He joined the likes of Jack Nicklaus, Phil Mickelson, Viktor Hovland and a handful of others in earning low-amateur honors at both the Masters and U.S. Open in the same year. He since has turned professional, and projects to be one of those quick-to-the-winner-circle fellas.

▶ Winner: Rickie Fowler. The Rocket hasn’t had a repeat winner, but I’ll say that ends this year. He’s struggled since his breakthrough win in Detroit a year ago, but turned it on the Travelers, just in time for one of his favorite stops.

John Niyo, columnist

▶ Favorite: Cameron Young is the highest-ranked player in the field, and he’s coming in hot, fresh off firing a 59 on Saturday at the Travelers. But with his combination of power and touch, he’s also a perfect fit for this Donald Ross course, as he proved with a runner-up finish to Tony Finau in 2022

▶ One to watch: Chris Kirk is a horse for this course, no doubt. His tie for 14th here last year was his fourth straight top-25 finish, a run that includes a dozen rounds in the 60s.

▶ Dark horse: J.J. Spaun has made the cut in every RMC — no one else can say that — and last year’s T33 was his worst finish to date. Recent results aren’t great, but a Motor City visit might be just what he needed.

▶ Winner: Taylor Pendrith followed up a runner-up finish here in 2022 with another top-15 last year at DGC. After notching his breakthrough win at the Byron Nelson this spring, I’m picking him to double up this week in Detroit.

More: The News’ tee-to-green coverage of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, all right here

Craig Yuhas, assistant sports editor

▶ Favorite: Tom Kim. Without a star-studded field, Kim stands out as someone that should have a great chance after finishing second at Travelers Championship. The biggest problem is how much gas do some of the better players, including Kim, have in the tank? Kim is playing his ninth event in a row, and many will be playing their fourth or fifth tournament in a row this week. He seems to be handling it the best right now.

▶ One to watch: Rickie Fowler. His win at last year’s RMC was a big breakthrough as he embarks on the second half of his PGA Tour career. His play has been steady but not spectacular since. He will have a big following, as he always does, when he’s here. Maybe that is the jolt his game needs to get back rolling to finish off the season.

▶ Dark horse: Adam Schenk. He’s had a up-and-down year, but when he’s good, he’s really good. Schenk finished seventh last year here and maybe this is the week the Purdue alum breaks through for his first career victory.

➤ Winner: Akshay Bhatia. After winning the Texas Open the week before the Masters, Bhatia struggled for a minute before putting it together and is trending in the right direction — T22 at Memorial, T16 at U.S. Open and T5 at the Travelers. I like him to win, but I wonder how he holds up. This will be his eighth tournament in a row.

tpaul@detroitnews.com

@tonypaul1984

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Detroit, MI

Man jumps into action to save girlfriend in crash involving teen driver fleeing MSP

Published

39 minutes ago

April 21, 2026

Press Room

Man jumps into action to save girlfriend in crash involving teen driver fleeing MSP

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At WDIV, we are committed to informing and delighting our audience. In our commitment to covering our communities with innovation and excellence, we incorporate Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies to enhance our news gathering, reporting, and presentation processes. Read our article to see how we are using Artificial Intelligence.

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Detroit, MI

Why a Detroit family’s $300 brick repair job turned into a fraud investigation

Published

13 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

Why a Detroit family’s 0 brick repair job turned into a fraud investigation

DETROIT – What started as a seemingly routine home repair quickly unraveled into something far more troubling for one Detroit family.

A man appeared to be posing as a contractor — arriving in construction gear and accompanied by two teens — showed up April 7 at a west side Detroit home, offering to do brick work for about $300. But according to the homeowner’s daughter, the situation started to seem fishy — and expensive — fast.

Tameka Kelly said the trio told her 76-year-old mother they were with “State Line Construction” and began working almost immediately.

“I just felt used and taken advantage of,” Kelly said, looking back at the situation.

“They kept working — kept putting cement down, I said, ‘you might want to tell them to stop.’ He said, ‘well right now it’s $1129.’ I said, ‘my mother‘s not paying you $1000,’” Kelly said.

At one point, the man even offered to repair the bottom of the home’s wheelchair ramp — something Kelly said her sister, who lives with her mother, relies on daily. But she refused because something just didn’t sit right.

“I gave him the $300,” Kelly said, hoping they would just leave. “I thought, well, he knows where my mom lives. I don’t want him coming back trying to do something to my mom‘s house or something to our vehicles.”

Kelly later tried to confront the man, who identified himself as Brian Lopez, and called the number on the invoice.

“When I called he was like, ‘no no no brickwork no brickwork’ I said, ‘yes you did. You were just here. I said I don’t forget a voice,’” she said.

But the biggest red flag came when she looked closer at the address listed on the invoice.

The address — 70 West Maple in Troy — turned out to be a McDonald’s.

“I really got upset when I found out that address was to a McDonald’s,” Kelly said.

Initially, Kelly said when she tried to file a report with Detroit police, she said they told her the situation was a civil matter and she could not file one. She then filed a complaint with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office.

Now, Detroit police tell Local 4 they will be taking Kelly’s fraud report, and once that is completed, an investigation will follow.

State Line initially told Local 4 they were not familiar with a Brian Lopez, then an attorney for State Line construction told Local 4 that, after checking the company’s records, there is no Brian Lopez that works for the company. As a matter of fact, the attorney said, State Line Construction does not do cement or residential construction. He said they focus on electrical work.

Attempts by Local 4 to reach the man going by the name Brian Lopez with the number given were unsuccessful.

Kelly said she felt compelled to speak up to prevent others from falling victim.

“I’m really upset about it, and I don’t want it to happen to anybody else,” she said.

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Detroit, MI

Detroit Pistons already facing must-win Game 2 vs Orlando Magic

Published

1 day ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

Detroit Pistons already facing must-win Game 2 vs Orlando Magic

How in the world did things get so bad so fast for the Detroit Pistons?

In just one outing in the 2026 NBA playoffs, they went from top-seeded darlings of the Eastern Conference to punching bags punked by an 8-seed short on rest but long on resilience and toughness.

“I would say they ‘outphysical-ed’ us today,” Pistons wing Ausar Thompson said after the Orlando Magic stole Game 1 of the first-round NBA playoff series, 112-101, at Little Caesars Arena on Sunday, April 19. “One, because they got more rebounds than us. They forced more turnovers.”

Yes, this was always going to be a physical series. Though you would think the Pistons, owners of the NBA’s second-best defense and playing at home, would have a sizable advantage.

It also should have helped them that they were coming off six days’ rest, as opposed to the Magic coming off winning a play-in game just 47 hours earlier.

It didn’t help that Pistons star Cade Cunnigham was playing in just his fourth game since suffering a collapsed lung and missing 11 games. He scored a game-high 39 points, but he didn’t operate as smoothly as usual, with just four assists (far off his 9.9-assist season average) while committing three turnovers.

Another indictment of the Pistons’ worrisome play: Tobias Harris (19 points) was Cunningham’s only teammate who scored in double digits. Meanwhile, all five Magic staters did so, led by Paolo Banchero’s 23 points on 8-for-15 shooting.

And just like that, the Magic came out firing, scoring 35 points in the first quarter and never trailing.

“Yeah, just that we came out a little too tight, lax, whatever the word is, maybe both for some of us, but just didn’t come out with the right energy,” Cunningham said. “Gave them life further on. And then, you know, we had to deal with that for the rest of the game. We were better in stints, but can’t dig a hole like that.”

He’s right. The Pistons can’t dig a hole like that in Game 2 on Wednesday night. Because if they do, and they lose, the Magic would not only have homecourt advantage – they got that with Sunday’s victory – but could close out the series without another win in Detroit, with three of the next four games coming in Orlando.

That’s precisely what makes Game 2 a must-win game for the Pistons. It’s bad enough they lost the opener at LCA, where they were 31-9. But now they’ve let the Magic set a hard-edged tone in the kind of the game that could lead them to steal the series.

“I know that they feel great about this game,” Cunningham said. “This was a big win for them. They came in, they handled their business and stole one on the road. That’s what you want to do in the playoff series.

“So I’m sure that they feel great about that. Obviously, we’re sick about losing this one. It’s a long series, though. There’s no confidence dropped from us. We know that team. They know us. So it’ll be a long, fun series.”

Cunningham might be right, because the Pistons are arguably the better team. They have enough talent and more depth.

What the Pistons don’t have is the advantage of desperation. They had an excellent season from start to finish, closed with a 60-22 record, and wrapped up the East’s top seed on April 4.

The Magic, meanwhile, have been playing with fire (and not always the good kind) down the stretch, while their fifth-year coach, Jamahl Mosley, entered the postseason on the hottest of hot seats after his squad went 0-7 in road playoff games over the past two seasons.

To make things even worse, the Magic lost the regular-season finale to the Boston Celtics – well, their reserves, at least – to blow their chance at the 7-seed and homecourt in the play-in tournament. Then Orlando lost to the Philadelphia 76ers (on the road, of course) in the first play-in game before beating the Charlotte Hornets (in Orlando) to advance to a best-of-seven series – featuring four road games – vs. the Pistons.

Now, it looks like the Magic have found their form, as they routed the Hornets, 121-90, and stunned the Pistons. And just like that, Mosley went from hot seat to just plain hot.

Banchero wouldn’t go so far as to say the victory set up his team to steal the series, but he didn’t deny it was exactly the kind of start Orlando needed.

“It’s just a good win for us as a team getting it on the road against a great team and 1-seed,” he said. “But at the end of the day, we got to come back Wednesday, you know, reciprocate it, you know?

“They’re not going to lay down. They’re going to turn it up. So we’ve got to be ready for that. And it’s just one-game-at-a-time mentality, you know? That’s what it’s got to be. It’s the first of four.”

Yes, it’s just the first of four wins the Magic needs to advance. If the Pistons don’t find an answer quickly, the math – and hardly anyone else – won’t be on their side when they head to Central Florida this weekend.

Contact Carlos Monarrez at cmonarrez@freepress.com and follow him on X @cmonarrez.

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